Posted by admin on January 24, 2010
Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS 
I don’t know how people go running or cycling without one of these. I’ve been training for a marathon and the information this provides during and after a run is incredibly helpful.
In terms of functionality it is pretty good, with a few minor quibbles. Firstly the satellite acquisition is a big improvement over the 205 but still sometimes takes a while. I leave mine outside for 5 minutes before a run. The display is easy to adjust and big enough to read during the day, and the computer transfer is very easy.
On the downside, there is no way to display speed in km/h or mph, only minutes per mile or km which can be annoying. Secondly if you are running after dark it is difficult to activate the backlight to read the screen without accidentally stopping the clock. Thirdly I have never understood how to tell the Garmin what sport I am doing, so a lot of my running data is recorded as cycling data. Lastly I don’t know how to save the data once it is transferred to my computer, so it downloads all the workouts every time I connect it. Quite often it will tell me that it’s a new Garmin, or a new computer, or both and I have to do the set up again. However I think all these things are user errors that I could figure out if I hadn’t thrown the instruction manual away….
On the whole I find this device pretty easy to use and extremely useful. More Information…
Posted by admin on January 17, 2010
Magellan Maestro 4700 
I really like this device. When I first got it I could not get it to guide me to the exact address.
After working with a customer service rep. at Magellan we finally found the problem. It was shipped from the factory set up in DEMO mode. There is nothing in the user’s manual or on the device stating this fact.
I would suggest to Magellan to either put something in the manual to direct the new owners that it is in DEMO mode and how to get out of this mode OR instruct the factory to stop shipping them in this mode.
Now that it is out of DEMO mode it works fantastically. I would recommend it to everyone. More Detail…
Posted by admin on January 17, 2010
DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 Handheld GPS
Great Handheld GPS for professionals or hobbies
I think this has been a great upgrade from my old handheld GPS. While I primarily use it for Geocaching I can see how it could be used for much more. The TOPO 8.0 software is taking some time to learn to navigate through but they have an online forum where I have been able to find the answers to my questions and some usefull tips. I love being able to read cache descriptions and logs from the handheld GPS so I do not need the paper descriptions anymore. The route options are nice when you are not familiar with the local roads but as with all GPS navigation the roads that are chosen are sometimes questionable. Overall I would recomend it for former Magellan Explorist users who want an upgrade or Garmin users who want the features this GPSr offers. I was able to figure out most of the functions after one day and the remainder after a few trips out with it. More Detail….
Posted by admin on January 11, 2010
Garmin Oregon 400T
Best GPS I’ve used
Bought this for 380 (used) at cabelas. I used it in Northern Minnesota deer hunting in thick woods i bought lithium batteries and they lasted 15hrs straight. i used it in 30F snow and ice it was actually covered with ice. It worked really well in the cold. No lag touch screen worked great. I have no problems seeing it in daylight you push the on button and it lets you brighten it. It seemed plenty bright i actually dropped it to half brightness to save no battery. From off to GPS signal is about 15 seconds awesome! While driving it never lost signal and was almost real time with my speedo. The only negative i have is the cursor is huge when moving small distance and zooming I didn’t see setting to make cursor smaller. Screen is pretty scratch resistant except when metal touches it. I put a half in. scrape in it (my fault) I love how its programmed without manual I learned how to use it very very fast with out frustration! It has a cool alarm that you set time and it turns off until that time and automaticly turns itself on and sets off alarm. 3d view was wayyyy cool! especially for deer hunting I was able to pick the ridges I wanted to follow. Get IT! 
Posted by admin on January 8, 2010
Tomtom one 130
I have one TomTom myself and it has helped me a lot by being on time at certain places plus finding my way there with no problem. The voice leads
you there, all you have to do is follow his or her directions. It has saved me a bundle in gas. I am one of those who gets lost easily. I bought my daughter one for her birthday and she loves it. The last one I
bought was for my brother-in-law who runs a lawnmower repair business. He
loves his because when he has to go pickup or deliver a mower, the TomTom
leads him there. The TomTom is a great tool. I would strongly recommend
it. 
Posted by admin on January 8, 2010
Garmin Forerunner 405CX
Excellent product
I have used this watch for 2 weeks now, and I am almost 100 percent satisfied with it.
First of all, it is very easy to use. After 15 minutes I knew how to access most of its features.
The touch bezel works great. Even when it was raining I was able to use it with no trouble at all.
The battery life is not great, but it’s ok. It takes about 3 one-hour workouts (5 days) to wear out the battery.
The GPS is not 100 percent accurate, but it is good too. Sometimes the map shows my route as if I had been taking shortcuts through the bushes. I would rate its accuracy as been 8/10. It’s my first GPS device though, I don’t know if they are all like that.
The heart rate monitor is excellent, much better then my Polar. It’s more accurate (doesn’t show absurd values like the Polar does sometimes) and it allows you to change the battery instead of having to buy a new one when the battery dies.
Another great thing about this watch is that it allows you to select the data fields that you want to view during your workout. So, you can configure up to 3 sets of data with 3 fields on each one to view during the exercise. You can either change the data sets by touching the bezel or configure the watch to rotate through them.
The data transmission to the computer is very nice, too. You only have to stick the usb receiving device into your computer and it detects the watch and retrieves the data.
So, after all that, I can say that it was a great purchase, and I recommend it for anyone who likes running and gadgets. 
Posted by admin on January 4, 2010
Garmin nuvi 260W
Being that this is my first GPS device, I’m not exactly sure if I’m amazed by the Garmin, or by GPS technology in general. However, I am very pleased with the performance of this product. I purchased it primarily to help with frequent trips between New York and (multiple destinations in and around) Philadelphia. It’s easy to use, and I have not had any problems with it. One must understand the limits of what it can do, but what it can do is amazing. I think the best feature is it’s ability to “recalculate” when you go off of the specified route. This happens quickly and automatically, so that if you miss a turn (or if it directs you to turn onto a one-way street in the wrong direction – it can’t read the local signs) it get’s you back on track in a matter of seconds. I have nothing negative to say about this product. If you don’t have one, get one.
